90 The Canary. 



no means open to the charge implied in the above 

 remarks, may desire to make a few experiments for 

 themselves, we will say a few words upon the most 

 desirable birds to begin with, and the results most likely 

 to be attained. 



According to Bechstein, the species which succeed 

 best with the canary are the serin, the citril,the siskin, 

 the goldfinch, and the linnet. The greenfinch, the 

 chaffinch, the bullfinch, and yellowhammer, he adds, 

 have been tried, but the difficulty augments with the 

 difference of species and food ; for example I have 

 never seen a male canary very fond of a female yellow- 

 hammer, nor a male of the latter kind of a female 

 canary, though the plumage may be selected so as to 

 offer a striking resemblance. An ardent bullfinch 

 will sometimes yield to the allurements of a very 

 ardent hen canary. I have myself witnessed it ; but 

 with every care it is seldom the eggs are very fruitful, 

 and produce young. Dr. Jassy, however, writes me 

 from Frankfort that he has obtained mules of a bullfinch 

 and canary, by making other canaries sit on the eggs, 

 and bring up the young, and that this plan is pursued 

 in Bohemia. My bullfinch, he adds, is so attached to 

 the female canary that he mourns all the time they are 

 separated, and cannot bear any other bird. 



Although Bechstein enumerates the yellow-hammer 

 as a mate for the canary in the list given above, we 

 ourselves can amply bear out the qualifying remark he 

 makes as to the unlikelihood of a match as we have 

 repeatedly made the experiment with birds between 

 whom there was very little difference of colour, and 



